Four Easy Chicken Bakes!

Sorry, guys.  I haven't been keeping up with weekly postings.  Getting sick in January and then getting hit with a huge reaction to the prescribed antibiotics has just landed me on my butt for four months this year.  Rebound episodes of some major infections and trying to find an antibiotic to knock back the infection and NOT do me in has been an adventure, to say the least! 

I haven't done much cooking for myself, either.  But it's time to "hop back in the saddle"!!  These recipes came across my news stream today and they all look good, simple, and FAST!!  Just what I need to get going again!!  

Today's project is a freezer clean-out so I can check all those codes on the big listeria recall of frozen veggies.  Those that aren't listed are going into soup, then back in the freezer for some more "instant" meals.

Everyone have a great day!!!  (and someone please tell the rain, "enough already!!")

Four Easy Chicken Bakes!!

Pesto Chicken Bake
Ingredients:
3–4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
4–6 Tbsp. basil pesto
1–2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1–2 cups mozzarella cheese

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
2. Place chicken breast in a baking dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread pesto on each chicken breast.
4. Layer tomatoes on top of the chicken.
5. Top with cheese.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.



BBQ Chicken Bake
Ingredients:3–4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
6–8 Tbsp. BBQ sauce
½ onion, sliced

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
2. Place chicken breast in a baking dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread BBQ sauce on each chicken breast.
4. Layer onions on top of the chicken.
5. Bake for 40 minutes.



Bacon Ranch Chicken Bake
(I think this one will probably be a lot less calorific than my King's Ranch recipe.  Let's hope it tastes equally yummy!)

Ingredients:3–4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
6–8 Tbsp. ranch dressing
6–8 slices bacon
4 oz cheddar cheese

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
2. Place chicken breast in a baking dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread 1–2 Tbsp. ranch on each chicken breast.
4. Layer two slices of bacon on top of each chicken breast.
5. Top with cheese.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.



Alfredo Chicken Bake
Ingredients:
24 oz–48 oz Alfredo sauce
3–4 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb broccoli heads
1 cup Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
2. Spread a layer of Alfredo sauce on the baking dish. Place chicken breast over sauce. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread broccoli over pan.
4. Pour remaining Alfredo over chicken and broccoli.
5. Top with cheese.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Not quite the same as a deep fried chili, but close enough for a town this size and definitely easy!!  Now if they could only come up with a really good "fake tamale" recipe I'd be in Cinco de Mayo Heaven!!

Chile Rellenos Casserole

1 (7-ounce) can whole green chili peppers (there were 5 peppers in the can)
5 ounces Monterey Jack cheese
4 beaten eggs
1/3 cup milk
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup (about 3 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese



Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚.
2. Drain the peppers; slit them lengthwise and remove the seeds.
3. Cut the Monterey Jack cheese into long pieces, and put it in the peppers. (The peppers won’t totally surround the cheese, which is okay.)
4. Put the peppers in a greased 10x6x2-inch baking dish.
5. Combine the eggs and milk; add the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until smooth.
6. Pour the egg mixture over the chiles. Cover with the shredded cheddar cheese.




Bake for 30 minutes

"Downton Abbey" Leek Tartlett

This is from the kitchens at the real "Downton Abbey" - Highclere Castle!!

Leek Tartlett

Serves: 6

Tartlet cases:

85g (6T) soft butter
180g (1½ cups) flour
40g (about 1/2 c - ish) finely grated Parmesan cheese
45ml (3 tbsp) water

Filling:

30g (2 tbsp) butter
500g (about1 pound -ish) leeks, washed and cut into discs
250ml (1 cup) cream
Salt and pepper

To serve:

Fresh chives, parsley or paprika



Procedure:

1) To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour and Parmesan cheese until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and mix to a soft dough. Chill, covered, for 30 minutes.

2) Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Roll out the pastry to about 4mm thick and line 6 individual quiche pans. Prick with a fork, cover and chill for 15 minutes.

3) Bake the tartlet cases for 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.

4) For the filling, melt the butter in a large frying pan over the highest heat and sauté the leeks. As soon as the leeks start to cook, pour in the cream and stir. Season. Simmer for 2 minutes, then, using a slotted spoon, remove the leeks from the frying pan and place in a bowl. Keep stirring the cream as it bubbles and reduce to a third of its volume. Return the leeks and their juices to the pan, stirring until thoroughly heated through

5) Just before serving place the tartlet cases into a warm oven. Place each tartlet case on a plate and spoon the leek mixture into the middle. It doesn't matter if the cream spills out of the tartlets. Sprinkle with fresh chives, parsley or paprika to decorate. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Sirloin Tips and Gravy

Fast.  Right up my alley this week!!  You can add some sauteed mushrooms to give another layer of taste.  When sirloin tips are on sale, this one is a real time-saver!!

Sirloin Tips and Gravy

Ingredients:

2 lb. beef sirloin, cut into 1 inch cubes, and patted dry
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 TBS vegetable oil
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (15 oz.) can beef broth
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 c. water
1 beef bouillon cube
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Dried Parsley for garnish


Procedure:

In a large bowl combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Dredge sirloin pieces lightly in flour mixture.

In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat, brown beef in batches, until browned on all sides. Remove to a paper towel lined plate, to absor excess fat, then add to Crock Pot.

In a small bowl combine soup, onion soup mix, beef broth and Worcestershire.

Pour over beef. Add water, bouillon cube, salt and pepper to taste. (I don't use any salt because of the soup, Worcestershire and bouillon.)

Stir well. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours until gravy has thickened a bit and beef is cooked through. Serve over cooked egg noodles, rice or mashed potatoes. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Healthy Chickpea Salad

Fast and yummy.  Makes a great lunch or a dinner side dish. Recipe is easily halved for a small group or doubled for a crowd!

Healthy Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:
2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/2 red onion (chopped)
20 cherry tomatoes (halved)
1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
1/2 cup fresh mint (chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Crumbled feta cheese

Procedure:

In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, black beans, red onion, cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, and fresh mint.

In another small bowl, mix together olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to coat.

Top with crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy!

A quick way to halve cherry tomatoes is to place them all on a small plate, top with another plate you have inverted, and then insert a sharp knife between the two plates.  While pressing down on the top plate enough to stabilize the tomatoes, you can just saw you way across with the knife between the two plates and all the tomatoes are sliced at once.  Or do them one at a time.  Whatever.

Lava Cakes for 2

Because sometimes you just crave chocolate!  This one if for all of us who didn't get an Easter basket this year!

Easy Chocolate Lava Cakes

Recipe by Christine Byrne
Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing custard cups
2 tablespoons sugar, plus more for the custard cups
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F, and grease two 6 to 8-ounce custard cups or ramekins generously with butter. Put a small spoonful of sugar in each cup, then turn the cup sideways and rotate it so that the sugar is coating the butter all around. Dump out any excess sugar. Place the greased cups on a baking sheet or oven safe dish.

2. Put the chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave it on high for 30 seconds, take it out and stir it, then microwave it for another 20 seconds and stir it again. It should be completely melted. If there are still chunks of unmelted chocolate, microwave for increments of 10 seconds and stir. (Remember it will continue to melt - don't overnuke it or it will burn!)

3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the room temperature butter and the sugar with an electric mixer or a rubber spatula. The mixture should be thoroughly combined, smooth, and paste-like, not lumpy.

4. Add the two eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, and beat it with the electric mixer or a whisk until everything is combined and the mixture is starting to foam, about a minute. Add the flour and salt, and again beat everything with the mixer until it’s thoroughly mixed.

5. Add about 1/3 of the melted chocolate to the mixture in the mixing bowl, then use a rubber spatula to gently fold it in. Add the rest of the chocolate mixture, and fold together until you have a uniform batter with no streaks. (Don't add all the hot chocolate at once - you'll have chocolate-covered scrambled eggs!! yuck.)

6. Divide the batter evenly between the two greased custard cups, then bake the cakes in the preheated oven until the tops are just set but the cakes still jiggle slightly when you shake them, about 11 minutes.

7. Let the finished cakes sit in cups for five minutes when they’re finished baking. Then, flip each cup over on a dessert plate, and tap the bottoms of the cups so that the cakes fall out.

8. Serve immediately. If you want, you can garnish them with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and berries.

Chili Cheese Hasselback Potatoes

Also known as "I'm feeling Incredibly Lazy and DO NOT WANT TO COOK" potatoes!!

Chili Cheese Hasselback Potatoes

So simple!!!

Scrub a baking potato well (one potator per person)

Slice the potato into vertical slices WITHOUT cutting all the way through (you can put an old pair of chopsticks on your cutting board next to each side of the potato so your knife doesn't cut the potato into individual slices.)

Put the potato on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter, letting the butter drip down into those vertical slices.

Roast 30 minutes.

Brush the potato with melted butter again.

Roast another 30 minutes.

Open a can of chili and heat it up.

Pour some of the chili over the potato and top with some shredded cheese.

DONE!!!

Tortilla Española

I'm only including this because I had it at a tapas bar recently and had forgotten how wonderful this simple dish is. I found the perfect set of instructions on-line so I am just forwarding them on and giving all the credit to Alexandra Rojas' page: "Always Order Dessert'

Tortilla Española

Ingredients:
3 lbs potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, scrubbed and patted dry but not peeled
1 large Spanish onion or 2-3 medium yellow onions
12 large eggs
1 tablespoon smoked spanish paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Kosher salt

Procedure:

Fill a large pot with 3 quarts of cold water and season with kosher or sea salt. Slice each potato into 1/2" thick round slices and drop into pot of cold water. Once all potatoes are sliced and in water, place pot over high heat and bring to a boil until potatoes are fork tender.

While potatoes come to a boil, cut the onions in half and slice into thin half moons. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl with paprika, black pepper, and Kosher salt.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a 10"-12" nonstick skillet with 2" sides and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute just until translucent. Add the onions into the egg mixture. Drain the potatoes and add to the eggs.

Add a bit more oil to the pan and pour in the egg and potato mixture, distributing it evenly. Cover and let cook over medium heat for about 15 - 20 minutes or until cooked around the edges and set. Run a spatula all around the edges and jiggle the pan to make sure the omelet isn't stuck. You now have three options:

Option #1: Take a large platter and invert it over the pan, covering it completely. Place an oven mit-clad hand over the bottom of the plate and with your other hand firmly on the skillet handle, flip the omelet onto the plate. Then place the skillet back on the stove and slide the omelet back in so that the top side is now on the bottom. (This is the traditional way to do it. There is a small risk of egg and oil spillage, but it's minor and with practice won't be a problem at all.)

Option #2: Place a large platter on the counter and holding the skillet over it tilted at a 45degree angle, use a large spatula to slide the omelet onto the plate leaving the top part on top. Then invert the skillet over the omelet, place your (oven mit-clad) hand on the bottom of the plate, and flip the omelet onto the skillet. (This works best if you have a skillet with sloped sides that allow for easy sliding.)  I think this is the easiest method!

Option #3: forget the flipping! Just turn on your broiler and slide the skillet with the omelet under the broiler for about 10 minutes to let it finish cooking. (This is both the easiest and least authentic.)

If you chose one of the flipping options, let the omelet continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until set. Some people like the inside of the omelet to be a little runny, but I don't so I let it cook until it's well done.

Flip onto a plate and let set for 10 minutes before serving. Can be served hot or cold. You can also adapt this recipe by adding sliced cooked chorizo, manchego cheese, spinach, kale, garlic, pimentos, or any number of additions.

Sliced into small cubes and speared with a toothpick this makes a FABULOUS appetizer!!!

Scallops in Curry Cream - do this when bay scallops are on sale!!

This really is much simpler than it looks. AND you can do it AHEAD. Impressive meal without a lot of work!  It's basically a white cream (bechamel) sauce with curry, shallots and mushrooms + a cheesy bread crumb topping.  And did I mention you can do this AHEAD of time?  Love that.

Coquilles St. Jacques

(aka Scallops in Curry Cream Sauce with Vegetables and Crumb topping)
from Ina Garten

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups seafood stock, clam juice or low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
¼ teaspoon curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 large shallots, peeled and diced, approximately 1 cup
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems discarded, sliced
¼ cup brandy or Cognac 

1 ½ cups fresh bread crumbs(approximately 6 slices white bread, crusts removed, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor)
¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley
5 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 pounds bay scallops, or quartered sea scallops (if you have extra money this week!!), abductor muscles removed

Procedure:
Set a saucepan over medium heat, and melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in it. 

When it foams, add the flour, and cook for approximately 4 minutes, whisking constantly. 

Add the stock, and whisk again, until it is smooth and thick. 

Add the cream, curry powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. 

Bring the sauce just to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside. 

Put 3 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. When it melts and foams, add the shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are clear and tender, approximately 5 minutes. 

Add the sliced mushroom caps, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until they have released their liquid and are just starting to brown. 

Add the brandy or Cognac, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the alcohol has mostly evaporated. 

Add a teaspoon of salt to the mixture and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and stir again to combine. Add mushroom mixture to the cream sauce, and set aside. 

Combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and Gruyère in a large bowl, stir to combine, then moisten the mixture with the olive oil, stirring again to combine. 

Use the last tablespoon of butter to grease 6 1 1/2-cup gratin dishes. Divide the scallops evenly among them and top with equal amounts of the cream and mushroom sauce. Top each gratin dish with a handful or two of the bread-crumb mixture. Place dishes on a sheet tray, cover gently with foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a day.  (I LOVE things you can do ahead!!)

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400. Remove cover from sheet tray, and place in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and bubbling and the scallops are cooked through.

BAM!  Done!!!  This, salad, a little rice pilaf - to take advantage of the sauce, maybe some good bread and fresh butter and some good white wine.

Chocolate Guinness cake

Found this to make for the firehouse visits:

Chocolate Guinness cake

Ingredients:
Butter for pan
1 cup Guinness stout (the rest for the cook!)
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups superfine sugar
¾ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda

Icing:
1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
½ cup heavy cream


Procedure:
For the cake: heat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line with parchment paper.
In a large saucepan, combine Guinness and butter. Place over medium-low heat until butter melts, then remove from heat.
Add cocoa and superfine sugar, and whisk to blend.
In a small bowl, combine sour cream, eggs and vanilla; mix well. Add to Guinness mixture.
Add flour and baking soda, and whisk again until smooth.
Pour into buttered pan, and bake until risen and firm, 45 minutes to one hour.
Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely in pan.

For the topping: Using a food processor or by hand, mix confectioners' sugar to break up lumps. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add heavy cream, and mix until smooth and spreadable.
Remove cake from pan and place on a platter or cake stand. Ice top of cake only, so that it resembles a frothy pint of Guinness.